Sep 2007

Tesha and I made a video of the kids of For His Children. You can see the video at:

http://youtube.com/pgrangaard
or
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1244099250424732410&hl=en

Let us know what you think.
-Pete

Today I (Pete) started Ecuadorian drivers ed. I can drive legally in Ecuador with my US and international licenses, but to be covered by insurance, which is not mandatory in Ecuador, I need an Ecuadorian license.
The last time I did drivers ed, I sat in the back of the classroom with my other 15-year-old friends and we made faces and played catch because our in-class teacher was legally blind. She would say, "I know you're probably doing something back there, but I just don't know what."
The first thing I did today, before any in-class training, was behind-the-wheel practice. I guess they figure that most people have already driven, whether legally or illegally, here. For the record, I wore my seatbelt when I drove - my instructor did not. He did wrap his seatbelt around the handbreak once to look like he had it on when he saw a policeman.
In-class training was fun. I could understand almost everything the teacher said, and I even understood his jokes, but I stood out like a big foreign exchange student with my Northern-European complexion. Any chance of blending in was lost when the teacher wanted me to teach him to pronounce my entire name, Peter Blake Vanderlinden Grangaard. But it was funny for all, and it gave classmates a conversation starter to talk to me afterward. A couple of college-age guys were especially welcoming and willing to help me if I need it.
I'm sure the class will be a great learning experience, and it will give me lots to write about.
-Pete

You know what I think would make a great joke at my funeral? For people to show a slideshow of all my ugliest and weirdest pictures (preferibly the ones where I have red eyes) and display these pictures to the song, "Every Breath You Make." I just think it would be hilarious to see all these creepy pictures of myself while hearing Sting and The Police sing, "Every step you take, every move you make....I'll be watching you." There's a rumor that Sting wrote that song for an ex-girlfriend after she had a restraining order put against him. (Gives the song a different twist, huh?) I think that'd be pretty funny... and that gives all of you readers an insight to my twisted sense of humor.

I know its bad luck to think on one's funeral, especially at such a young age, but I thought about it a lot of the way home from the jungle. I thought about the orphanage and the legacy Clark and Melinda (the orphanage directors and founders) will leave behind when they die. To think that they probably have the best-run orphanage in Ecuador, maybe in all of South America is a great thing. It makes me proud to work for them. Then, I thought about Tod Swanson, the owner of the lodge we stayed in the jungle, and the nature preserve he's building. I thought about how long after he's gone, botanists, biologists, and nature lovers will still enjoy discovering the Amazonian Rainforest through his nature preserve. Maybe someone will even make an important scientific discovery there. It's neat to think that these people, Clark, Melinda and Tod, make the world better with the lives they lead, and it makes me want to find my own niche where I too can make a lasting difference.

Thinking on these things brought John Mayer's song, "Bigger than My Body" to mind.
Someday I'll fly, Someday I'll soar
Someday I'll be so much more
'Cuz I'm bigger than my body gives me credit for
'Cuz I'm bigger than my body now

Tod, Clark and Melinda have all made themselves "bigger than their bodies" because they're leaving behind things that will continue to make the world a better place long after they're gone. I hope that someday that song will be fitting for me as well.